Building a connected and supported postgraduate community at UCT

Dear students and supervisors

Postgraduate education sits at the heart of the University of Cape Town’s (UCT) mission as a research‑intensive institution committed to social impact, innovation and the public good. Our postgraduate students are not only advancing knowledge in their disciplines – they are shaping new ways of thinking about society, technology, health, sustainability and justice.

At the same time, we recognise that postgraduate study is complex and demanding. Navigating academic expectations, research processes, funding landscapes, administrative systems and personal wellbeing is rarely straightforward.

A space to navigate postgraduate life together

It is in this context that we are pleased to invite current and prospective postgraduate students to UCT Postgraduate Day, taking place on Thursday, 7 May 2026, under the theme “Your Journey – Our Support: Navigating Postgraduate Life at UCT”.

The main venue is Otto Beit Building on the Upper Campus, especially Molly Blackburn Hall, Richard Luyt Room and Ben Beinart Room.

This collaborative event — straddling both the research and internationalisation as well as the teaching and learning portfolios — is a pilot initiative that reflects a broader institutional commitment to create intentional spaces where postgraduates can connect with one another, engage directly with the people and systems that support their work, and gain clearer visibility into the resources available to them across the university.

• View the programme.

• RSVP for the event.

Once you have RSVPed, you will have access to event updates and resources.

What the day offers

UCT Postgraduate Day brings together a range of activities, including information tables and short info presentations, as well as scholarly panel discussions and networking opportunities. Contributors span academic faculties, research units, the Students’ Representative Council and key postgraduate support service offices.

The aim is to make the diversity of resources available to postgraduates more visible and accessible – allowing students to identify points of support that are relevant to their own stages, disciplines and ambitions.

Community, connection and intellectual exchange

Postgraduate work is often highly specialised and independently driven, which can lead to students feeling isolated and disconnected from their peers and the larger research community. This initiative is equally about community building, creating essential opportunities for informal exchange, cross‑disciplinary dialogue and shared reflection – not only for academic success, but for sustaining a healthy postgraduate ecosystem.

UCT Postgraduate Day also showcases the core of our postgraduate mission: intellectual development and exchange. Panel discussions on themes such as transdisciplinarity and the role of artificial intelligence in research are designed to spark critical conversation across disciplinary boundaries.

A full list of panel discussion topics is as follows:

• Al and Research | Chair: Professor Ryan Nefdt (Department of Philosophy) | Time: 10:00–10:45
• Alternative Modes of Knowledge Creation | Chair: Dr Msakha Mona (Academic Development Programme (ADP): Language Development Group) | Time: 12:00–12:45
• Innovation and Entrepreneurship | Chair: Dr Andrew Bailey (Director: Research Contracts & Innovation) | Time: 14:00–14:45
• Inter-, Multi- and Transdisciplinary Research | Chair: Professor Rachel Wynberg (Department of Environmental & Geographical Sciences) | Time: 15:00–15:45

• RSVP for one or more of these panel discussions.

A pilot with purpose

This is the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic that UCT is hosting a postgraduate day. This event is intentionally positioned as a pilot, a new starting point, rather than a finished product. We see this as an opportunity to learn – by listening to postgraduate experiences, observing patterns of engagement, and refining how the university can most effectively support and convene its postgraduate community.

Participation, feedback and reflection will help shape how similar initiatives evolve in future.

For undergraduates and postgraduates

While the primary focus of the day is postgraduate life at UCT, undergraduates who are considering progressing into postgraduate study are most welcome to attend. For these students, the day offers an opportunity to explore what postgraduate study entails at UCT, and to engage with academic and support staff and fellow students to enable more informed decisions about the next stage of their academic journey.

We encourage postgraduates at all stages, as well as those actively contemplating postgraduate study, to participate in ways that feel most useful to them – whether by attending specific sessions, engaging with information tables, or connecting with peers and staff. We ask all supervisors to encourage their students to participate in UCT Postgraduate Day and, indeed, join them.

We look forward to welcoming you to this collective time of engagement and exploration, and to continuing the work of building a connected, well‑resourced and supportive postgraduate community at UCT.

Warm regards

Professor Thokozani Majozi
Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research and Internationalisation

Professor Brandon Collier-Reed
Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Teaching and Learning

Read previous communications:

• From the UCT Executive
• Campus Announcements